Houston Chronicle by Dug Begley 3/14/2019
Some local shoppers soon could see their produce pull up in a Prius in one of the first forays into autonomous vehicles in the Houston area, a move observers said is sure to spur more robot deliveries in the region.
Following its launch in suburban Phoenix, California-based robotics company Nuro will debut automated deliveries at Kroger supermarkets on Buffalo Speedway and South Post Oak, with each store serving two zip codes. Officials did not specify an exact date for deliveries to start, only that the vehicles are in place and operation will start before summer.
“We want to learn as much as possible when we are out there,†said Dave Ferguson, co-founder of Nuro.
The zip codes covered will be 77401 and 77096 at the South Post Oak store, and 77005 and 77025 from the Buffalo Speedway location.
Deliveries will cost a flat fee of $5.95 regardless of delivery size or value, said Matt Thompson, vice president of digital business for Kroger. In Phoenix, delivery is to one zip code around a Fry’s market, a Kroger subsidiary.
“We are really encouraged about the repeat rate we are seeing from the Phoenix area,†Thompson said.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Driverless-grocery-deliveries-debut-in-Houston-13686398.php
